Ted Berglund and Joe Hughes, Dyplast Products, USA,

explain the importance of correct insulation installation

at LNG facilities.

Insulation
INSTALLATION
F
ailures at a new LNG facility during the first few months
of initial operations can be expensive and cause damage
to a company’s image. Therefore, most companies do
everything possible to ensure a ‘perfect start-up’, but this is
easier said than done. Identifying what may ultimately cause
problems is a first step to controlling and eliminating those
problems. Although it may be challenging to anticipate the
main reasons for forced shutdowns or curtailments during the
first months of operation, poor design and installation of the
insulation system are clearly on the list.
A properly designed and installed insulation system on an
LNG pipe or fitting is quite a marvel, since across only a few
inches the temperature can be -165°C at the pipe and 37°C at
the jacket – or a delta of approximately 200°C. If a ‘thermal
short’ develops in the insulation system (for instance, in a
poorly installed expansion joint), the temperature at the
surface of the metal jacket can drop dozens of degrees below
freezing, and ice can quickly form around the pipe and
equipment, making it inoperable and/or posing hazards to
personnel. The energy loss can also be significant and, in the
worst cases, the natural gas liquid (NGL) in the pipes can
begin to boil-off, causing severe problems in pumps and other
equipment.
While many of the principles that will be discussed herein
are applicable to any insulant, this article focuses on
polyisocyanurate (polyiso) and cellular glass (cell glass), since
there is more long-term experience with those insulants, with
Figure 1. LNG insulation vapour stop.
Figure 2. Double layered insulation system.
Figure 3. Double layer insulation system example.
Reprinted from March 2017
successful service with no failures over periods of 20 years
and more.
Fortunately, poor design of insulation systems is becoming
increasingly rare since there are numerous engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC) contractors and specifiers
who have extensive experience in LNG insulation systems.
However, there are still a few engineer/specifiers who depend
on ‘the old binder on the shelf’ to help them select insulants
and design the system of sealants, mastic, vapour barriers,
jackets, pipe coatings, expansion joints, vapour stops, etc.
Unfortunately, many older insulation specifications have not
incorporated more recent lessons learned, codes/regulations,
and advances in technologies/products. For instance, modern
vapour barriers are much better than old vapour retarders at
very low temperatures; and modern computer-aided fabrication
equipment can cut insulation to exotic shapes with close
tolerances to fit, for instance, fittings and valves. Also, CINI 2016
has evolved into a comprehensive standard specifically for LNG
facilities, and now requires the measurement of many physical
properties at LNG temperatures (-165°C), allowing smarter
selection of materials and thickness calculations. Similarly, ASTM
C591-16 for polyiso and ASTM 552-16 for cell glass require
calculation of thermal conductivity across a range of low
temperatures, down to cryogenic; and recent lessons learned
have demonstrated that the installation techniques for some of
the newer insulants being proposed for LNG are flawed.
The insulation system
The actual installation of the insulation system pipe, elbows
and fittings also needs to be considered. Installation practices
for those components can be extrapolated to the more complex
shapes encountered in equipment. Nominal pipe size can vary
from centimetres to over 1 m.
Polyiso and cell glass are manufactured as ‘buns’ or ‘blocks’,
respectively. A typical polyiso bun of 40 kg/m³ density typically
has dimensions of approximately 1 x 0.6 x 2.5 m; or cut into
‘chunks’ of 1 x 0.6 x 1.2 m. Certain manufacturers can vary the
dimensions, optimally accommodate the ‘nesting’ of repetitive
cuts, and thereby reduce waste during fabrication. A typical cell
glass block with 115 kg/m3 density can be produced in several
sizes, the largest of which may be 46 x 92 x 21 cm.
The buns and blocks are then fabricated into the shapes
required to cover the pipe, fitting, or component. It may be
necessary to glue multiple cell glass blocks together to achieve
the optimal dimensions before being fabricated into requisite
shapes. Ideally, the fabricated half-shells and any customised
shapes fit perfectly to the pipe or fitting with no air gaps (air
has minimal insulating value and can trap moisture).
An Insulation segment for a 1 m valve is huge, but can be
precisely machine-fabricated in many modern fabrication
facilities. Alternatively, insulation for a large fitting can be
‘fabricated in the field’ by manual labour using saws, scoops, and
hand-held routers. This latter approach can be even more
expensive, depending on labour costs, and the end-product is
likely to be of much lower quality. If field fabrication is the
choice, the ‘trust but verify’ motto is pertinent, since poor quality
field fabrication can be a source of insulation failures during
start-up.
Layers and offsets
The insulant itself is typically applied in multiple layers in LNG
applications. Even though it is possible to fabricate a ‘half-shell’
of polyiso insulation to virtually any thickness, layering allows
for staggered joints, which create a tortuous path for any water
vapour in an unlikely breach of vapour barriers. Generally, the
same holds for cell glass, yet the much smaller blocks must
be glued together to create large sections, and the weight
and brittleness of cell glass may limit half-shell sizes. Double
and triple layering is common in LNG facilities. A double layer
is typical when the overall insulant thickness is less than
12 – 15 cm , and a triple layer when greater than 12 – 15 cm of
insulation.
A joint sealer (zero water vapour permeability is ideal) is
typically applied on insulation longitudinal joints and butt joints
on all layers except the innermost to prevent moisture and
moisture vapour infiltration through joints/seams. Joint sealants
should be compatible with materials in which it has contact,
across the range of in-situ temperatures.
Note that the insulation thickness, the number of layers, and
indeed the entire insulation system, must be designed by a
competent engineer. For instance, the greater weight of cell
glass over polyiso combined with the lower thermal insulating
properties may dictate different thickness, layering, pipe hangars,
Figure 4. Elba Island LNG expansion loop.
Figure 5. Jacket installation over polyiso.
expansion joints, etc. This brief article must not be relied upon
as ‘design guidance’.
Vapour barriers
While polyiso and cell glass each have excellent water vapour
transmission properties, the vast majority of LNG system
engineers specify the application of a vapour barrier sheet,
slightly overlapped and taped, on the outermost layer of
insulation. The specifier/engineer may also require a vapour
barrier sheet over inner layers, particularly over the second layer
of a three-layer system.
As background, vapour retarders help slow the diffusion of
water vapour through an insulation system. Over the past
decade, material properties have been improved such that
vapour barriers can virtually eliminate water vapour intrusion. A
vapour barrier is usually defined as a layer with a permeance
rating of 0.1 perm or less (and several manufacturers offer
zero-perm products), while a vapour retarder is usually defined
as a layer with permeance greater than 0.1 perm, but less than
or equal to 1 perm. For a polyiso insulation system, the vapour
barrier is typically a zero-permeability sheet consisting of a
combination of aluminium foil and/or polyester film and/or
mylar. In a cell glass system, the final layer of insulation is
typically a coat of asphaltic mastic and an open mesh synthetic
fabric.
On top of the outermost vapour barrier, a metal jacket is
applied (aluminium or stainless steel), secured with stainless
steel straps (no rivets that could puncture the vapour barriers).
This jacket protects the vapour barrier from mechanical damage,
and can also improve the emissivity (the energy emitted from
the surface) and the reflectance (of solar radiation) of the
surface, as well as offer some protection to personnel.
Pipe coatings
It is important to mention that the design engineer should
specify whether any coatings should be applied to the pipe prior
to the application of the insulant. Many argue that coatings are
not required, but a competent engineer should examine the
corrosion resistance of the metals (which could range from more
exotic stainless steels to carbon steel) in the given environment
(wherein temperatures could be much higher than cryogenic
during cycling, shutdowns, and so forth). Cell glass installations
may require the use of a bore-coating on the inner surface of
the insulation in contact with the pipe if the piping undergoes
frequent temperature cycles or if pronounced vibration is
present.
Innovations
Both cell glass and polyiso have been in use for well over
50 years. During this period, cell glass itself has not changed
much, although there have been improvements in the requisite
coatings, adhesives, sealants, and mastics. Cell glass uses ‘air’
as the blowing agent within its cells. Air has poorer thermal
conductivities than other more exotic blowing agents, but
cell glass manufacturers would likely argue that they do not
need to refine their product since it is already environmentally
friendly, resistant to moisture and flame, has high compressive
strengths, and has reasonable insulating properties. It is left
to the engineers to evaluate all of the pros/cons of insulant
alternatives.
Polyiso, on the other hand, has evolved considerably, with
changes precipitated by external factors (e.g. Montreal Protocol),
Reprinted from March 2017
as well as internal, manufacturer factors (e.g. improved and more
bio-friendly products). Polyiso uses increasingly complex
blowing agents, catalysts, fire retardants, etc. that are trapped
within dense cells, striving to continually improve insulant
performance, particularly thermal resistance at low
temperatures. Today, hydrocarbons, such as pentane, are
commonly used blowing agents in polyiso since they create rigid
foam. They are more environmentally friendly than prior
generations of blowing agents, while yielding a light weight
rigid foam with excellent thermal insulation and other physical
properties.
With respect to fabrication innovations, modern
computer-aided approaches and more sophisticated cutting
equipment allow for faster and more efficient fabrication of
shapes that can precisely match custom components. Shiplap, or
other more innovative joints, are also increasingly used to add
additional tortuous paths for any intrusive water vapour, possibly
eliminating an additional layer of insulant.
Case study
Phase II of the Elba Island LNG terminal included an 80%
increase in storage capacity at Elba and an increase in the
daily design rate of the facility by more than 350 million ft3/d.
Upon completion of Phase II, Elba’s storage capacity totalled
7.3 billion ft3 with a send-out capacity of 1.2 billion ft3/d. The
expansion project included insulation of 31 895 ft of piping
with attendant polyiso insulation.
CB&I, the expansion project prime contractor, specified a
two-layer polyiso insulation system for LNG pipe insulation,
covered with a combination of zero-perm vapour barrier
sheeting, and enveloped in aluminium colour-coded jacketing.
Specifications demanded superior physical properties for system
components, as well as specific standards for shop fabrication of
shaped insulation segments, such as hemi-cylindrical sections,
pipe ells for small elbows, mitered sections for large elbows, and
tees.
The pipe insulation system scope connected the ship
unloading facility with the storage, recondensing, and send-out
system, plus the insulation of valves, fittings, and components.
The insulation system typically consisted of double-layer
insulation for piping with outside diameters varying in size from
3.5 to 41.25 in. Dyplast shipped over 1.25 million board feet of
Figure 6. Elba Island LNG pipe run.
Reprinted from March 2017
ISO-C1, in 43 semi-trailers within a period of five months, while
maintaining committed shipments to other clients.
After contract award, Dyplast Products worked with its
fabrication and installation partners to closely examine
manufacturing cost savings, transport economies, fabrication and
installation efficiencies, and possible innovations given the
specific sizes, quantities, and shapes of insulation to be
fabricated. The company’s ability to customise polyiso bunstock
dimensions meant that bun sizes could be matched to minimise
waste as Dyplast cut the bunstock into blocks (‘pipe chunks’),
which were, in turn, sized for minimising waste during shape
fabrication by the fabricator, Insulation Materials Corp. Optimally
sized pipe chunks also allowed for efficient packing in
transportation containers.
Dyplast’s offering incorporated fabrication to support
innovative approaches, such as larger/longer insulation sections,
interlocking segments, closer tolerances, complex routed shapes,
factory-applied laminations, etc., which reduce installation
labour, minimise waste, reduce system vapour permeance, and
optimise thermal performance. Just-in-time deliveries also
mitigated the downside of adequate storage limitations on-site
and budget constraints.
The net result was an insulation system that complied with
all requirements while adding additional value to the project in
terms of costs and schedule. There was no unanticipated
downtime, neither during start-up nor in the first months of
operations due to the insulation system. 10 years later, there
continues to be no downtime, failures, or excess maintenance
due to the insulation system.
Conclusion
Insulation installation provides a good example of where an
owner or turnkey contractor can underestimate the impact and
the complexity of an LNG system whose initial capital cost,
potential impact on schedule, and long-term performance can
have an oversized impact on financial success. While owners
and contractors are increasingly recognising the complexities
and the impacts of the insulation system and its installation, this
article points out the need for up-front knowledge of the issues
and their incorporation into specifications, contracts, and the
selection of installation contractors.
For instance, an insulation system installed with a single
flaw in the vapour barrier can impede start-up. An insulation
system with longitudinal joints at 12 o’clock is less
risk-mitigating than one at 3 o’clock. Different insulants require
vastly different installation techniques. Up-front coordination
between the engineer/designers and the installation contractor
can be invaluable. Just-in-time deliveries and
properly-considered insulant storage strategies can not only
minimise breakage and moisture absorption within the insulant,
but also better optimise cash flows. Shop fabrication of
insulation segments for valves and fittings can greatly reduce
labour costs, etc.
Ultimately, insulation system design, installer selection, and
installation planning should optimally be coordinated early and
simultaneously. By so doing, the LNG facility will be less
susceptible to failures during start-up and operations, and will
likely be much more energy and process efficient over the years.
Any additional cost of proactive attention to detail in the
insulation installation will yield considerable return on
investment.